Landscapers find body in Mesa

MESA, Ariz. -- Mesa police said landscapers found the body of a man killed in a motorcycle crash.

Police were called to the area of Higley and Thomas roads in Mesa Tuesday morning. They found the body of Curtis Nathan Pile, 46, lying in an undeveloped gravel retention basin adjacent to Thomas Road.

Police determined the 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle was traveling westbound on Thomas Road at a high rate of speed Monday night.

Sgt. Ed Wessing said Pile failed to negotiate a curve in the road and hit a curb, causing the motorcycle to go airborne down a dirt/gravel embankment.

Pile and his motorcycle landed 20 feet apart approximately 300 feet from the curb.

Witnesses in the area reported hearing a speeding motorcycle and loud "bang" around 11 p.m. Monday, but police were never notified. Wessing said Pile had been dead for several hours before workers from a landscape company found him.

Wessing said Pile was wearing a helmet and protective vest. He said the motorcycle was not equipped with an operable headlight or current registration.

Speed and inoperable equipment appear to be factors in the collision. At this time, impairment has not been identified as a contributing factor.